Exploring art events in and around NYC

December 2010

12/30/2010

Thanks to Mother Nature's dumping a whole mess of snow on New York City and making it a slushy, treacherous mess, for once I am not anxious to get home and am selectively snowbound in Boston (where they are more adept at handling the aftermath of blizzards). Staying in Boston, I was finally able to head to the ICA and check out the museum's excellent Mark Bradford exhibit. The first survey exhibition of Bradford's work, the show has on view paintings, sculptures, videos, and an installation created by the artist between 1997 and 2010.

The Los Angeles native scours his Leimert Park neighborhood for materials to use in his works—old posters, advertisements (for cellphones, cars, movies...), billboards, and signs are layered and layered along with wrapping paper, perming papers, and pages from newspapers and comic books to create his intricate, multi-layered, abstract canvases that explore pop culture, "class, race, and gender in American urban society," (from museum's website). The ICA describes Bradford as an "archeologist of his own environment" using found materials which he "layers, embellishes, erodes, and reconstitutes" along with string, twine, and other supplies purchased from Home Depot, to create stunning and evocative abstract works. Learn more at icaboston.org. See my post on Bradford's current exhibit, Alphabet, at The Studio Museum in Harlem here and the artist's website at pinocchioisonfire.org. Through March 13, 2011.

I was glad to see that the ICA also joined a group of U.S. cultural institutions in screening David Wojnarowicz's 1987 film A Fire in My Belly to protest censorship. Created in response to the AIDS-related death of his partner and fellow artist, Peter Hujar, the thirteen-minute video is "an artistic meditation on life, death, faith and suffering," (from ICA's website). On November 30th this year, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery famously pulled a four-minute edit of the video from its exhibit Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture after receiving complaints about the piece from the Catholic League and after the GOP threatened to take away the institute's federal funding. The Catholic League finds a scene in the film showing ants crawling on a crucified Jesus figure offensive and have described the piece as "hate speech." The Smithsonian's removal of the work sparked outrage with The Andy Warhol Foundation threatening to cut their funding to the museum unless the film is reinstalled and artist AA Bronsonrequesting the removal of his own work - Felix, June 5, 1994, featuring an image of his partner, Felix Partz, shortly after dying from AIDS-related complications - from the exhibition (a request the Smithsonian has refused to grant).

New York's PPOW Gallery, which represents Wojnarowicz's estate, disagreed with the Smithsonian's decision to remove the video from Hide/Seek and organized panel discussions regarding the museum's move and screened the video in its Chelsea space along with making it readily available to view online. Many museums and galleries have been screening the video as well in a show of support.

David Wojnarowicz was a prominent NYC artist and activist during the 1980s. He died of AIDS-related complications on July 22, 1992 at the age of 37. As if foreshadowing the current controversy regarding his work, in 1989, Wojnarowicz stated in an interview: "Animals allow us to view certain things that we wouldn't allow ourselves to see in regard to human activity. In the Mexican photographs with the coins and the clock and the gun and the Christ figure and all that, I used the ants as a metaphor for society because the social structure of the ant world is is parallel to ours," (excerpt from PPOW's press release). A Fire in My Belly will be on view at the ICA until January 2, 2011. Learn more here. The video is also screening in the lobby of the New Museum in NYC until January 23, 2011. Go check out A Fire in My Belly if you can, and if not, you can watch the surreal and haunting video below (courtesy of PPOW).

12/27/2010

Lehmann Maupin's Lower East Side gallery is hosting Painting and Sculpture, a benefit exhibition for the Foundation for Contemporary Artists (FCA). Founded in 1963 by Jasper Johns and John Cage, the non-profit arts organization provides grants to artists and arts organizations. The FCA's mission is to "encourage, sponsor and promote innovative work in the arts created and presented by individuals, groups and organizations." Unrestricted grants are awarded to artists and organizations focusing on dance, music/sound, performance art/theater, poetry, and the visual arts via a nomination process. The foundation also maintains a fund to assist artists undergoing unexpected emergencies. In 2010 alone, the FCA has given out $450,000 in grants.

Organized by an impressive group of artists,Lehmann Maupin's Painting and Sculpture exhibit features over 180 works of art for sale. Proceeds will go to the FCA's grant programs. The exhibit is jam-packed with great works generously donated by a slew of today's top contemporary artists. Go to Lehmannmaupin.com to learn more. Through January 9, 2011.

12/24/2010

12/23/2010

Tomorrow is the last day to catch two great exhibits at the Pace Galleries. First is Lucas Samaras' Poses/Born Actors at the 534 West 25th space. From 2009-2010, Samaras photographed over 100 big names in the art world, including artists, collectors, critics, curators, dealers, and friends. After taking shadowy, low-lit headshots of his subjects, Samaras heavily manipulated the images in Photoshop, dramatically altering the appearance of his sitters making them appear alien, creepy, sinister. The often unflattering masks Samaras has digitally dressed his "Born Actors" with may not make for conventional or pretty portraits, but they're definitely fun and fascinating. Learn more at thepacegallery.com. Through December 24th.

For The Day After, Hiroshi Sugimoto's exhibit at Pace's 545 West 22nd venue, the photographer/architect wanted to "simulate the history of the earth in three periods: first, a dark hot planet shrouded in thick clouds of gas, its primordial sea repeatedly struck by lightning and pelleted by tiny asteroids; second, a stable atmosphere and vast murky protobiotic waters; and third, the Paleozoic sea churning with biological phenomena," (from exhibit's introduction). The results are a small room exhibiting pre-historic, Land of the Lost-like images and artifacts; a second room displaying seven of the artist's haunting "Seascapes"; and two 50-foot-long photo diptychs and nine smaller-scaled photos from his "Lightning Field" series. To create the lighting images, Sugimoto exposes sheets of film to electric discharges from a Van de Graaff generator, "creating sparks of light that scar the film with patterns reminiscent of organic life forms and tree-filled landscapes," (from gallery's website). Sugimoto's elegant, otherworldly black-and-white images somehow seem to make time stand still. Learn more here. Also ends tomorrow, December 24th.

Lucas Samaras, Poses/Born Actors (Sorry, I did the best I could to label the images...)

12/22/2010

Matthew Marks currently has two Brice Marden exhibits on view. Letters is Marden's first New York solo show since his MoMA retrospective in 2006. While his retrospective was up at MoMA, Marden set out on a world-wide trip, starting off in Taipei where he saw a Huang T'ing-chien poem called "Seven-character Verse" at the National Palace Museum. The calligraphy "mounted to an album page with borders on both sides" (from the press release) inspired that artist to create the Letters series. Marden emulates this border effect by sandwiching his images of colorful, snaking, overlapping swirls within two grayish, vertical strips on the left and right edges of his works. Seven large-scale canvases and thirteen works on paper comprise Marden's energetic, sinuous interpretation of 11th century Chinese calligraphy. Through January 22nd.

Next door, Brice Marden Paintings 1961-1964, showcases six minimal works created by Marden early on in his career. As the press release states, "the works reveal a young artist in the process of establishing the elements of a painting practice that has lasted nearly five decades." The "reductive" paintings feature assorted rectangles in subdued, muted tones. The two exhibits allow visitors to see samples of Marden's distinctive work at different stages of the artist's long and celebrated career. Through December 23rd. Learn more about both shows at Matthewmarks.com.

12/21/2010

The Gagosian galleries have some wonderful exhibits on view that will be ending soon. Check them out while you can!

Robert Rauschenberg - Go see this major exhibition of the influential artist's painting and sculpture at Gagosian's West 21st Street location. Spanning the artist's career, the exhibit includes several of his Combines (works combining found objects, everyday items, and painting) from the 1950 and 1960s; a couple of his monochrome paintings (a white painting and a black triptych) from the 50's; Elemental Sculptures made from "fragments of found wood, brick, concrete and iron to create variations on the sculptural object and its pedestal" (from the press release); and fabric works that feature light, colorful, and often transparent material as "both the medium and subject." This exhibit offers a diverse and exciting array of work from the pioneering master. Learn more here. Through January 15, 2011.

John Currin - Gagosian's Madison Avenue space has on view 13 new paintings by John Currin. According to the show's press release, Currin is inspired by "Old Master portraits, pin-ups, and mid-twentieth century B-movies," and these influences can definitely be seen in the works. Twelve of the paintings feature Currin's usual subjects—elegant, mostly bourgeois, mostly nude or semi-nude woman. The Women of Franklin Street (2009) shows an awkward menage a trois while Big Hands (2010) features a buxom blonde with unproportionally large mitts (or maybe her head's too small?). Hotpants (2010) proves again that nobody depicts vain, poncey, aging men quite like Currin with his pasty, balding, doughy subject admiring his more studly reflection in a mirror while being fitted for a pair of short-shorts. Currin's meticulous and life-like images often convey an offbeat humor and wit. Click here for more. Through December 23rd.

Jean Pigozzi - Also up on Madison is an exhibit of photographer Jean Pigozzi's behind-the-scenes celebrity pics. Shot in black-and-white, Pigozzi's intimate shots aren't your typical celebrity portraits. The lensman captures his famous friends off-guard, during casual moments as they work, party, goof around, or just hang out. According to the show's press release, instead of keeping a diary, Pigozzi has "kept a visual journal of his friends and social calendar." Since the 1960s, Pigozzi has been documenting his many friends who happen to be some of the biggest international stars of the music, art, fashion, film, and business worlds (and sometimes their dogs too!). Pigozzi has unbelievable access to many major stars, and through his photos and four monographs, we can be looky-loos and get a glimpse into the exclusive world of the rich and famous. Learn more here. Through December 23rd.

12/16/2010

I still haven't made it to Asia Society yet to see Yoshitomo Nara: Nobody's Fool, but while checking out Robert Irwin's Way Out West a couple of weeks ago at The Pace Gallery East 57th Street I happened upon an exhibit of prints by Yoshitomo Nara at Pace Prints. I was excited to get a sampling of Nara's mischievous, edgy imps, hoping it would motivate me to hightail it over to the Asia Society show before it closes January 2nd.

The 12 works at Pace Prints were created using the classic Japanese Ukiyo-e style woodcut method. Each piece is printed in color on Kizuki-shi or Shichibugusa paper and comes in editions of 50. The prints are classic Nara, with his adorable, angry little characters seemingly up to no good, fussing and a-fuming before bare backgrounds. Samples of the woodcuts he used to produce the print Walk On are also on display. Nara's prints illustrate quirky and enchanting scenes that make you wonder why his charming little girls are so darn pissed off. I probably like them so much because I totally relate to their moodiness... Learn more at Paceprints.com. Closed December 4th but we still have until January 2, 2011 to check out Yoshitomo Nara: Nobody's Fool at Asia Society!

After the Acid Rain (Day Version), 2010

Don't Wanna Cry from Untitled, 2010, I Don't Want to Grow Up from Untitled, 2010

S.O.S. from Untitled, 2010, Hateful Christmas from Untitled, 2010

Life is Only One from Untitled, 2010, 1-2-3-4 Pissed Off! from Untitled, 2010

12/15/2010

Robert Indiana, the American Pop Artist internationally renowned for his American Dream, Numbers, and LOVE series, presents prints from his HOPE series at his current exhibit NOW at the Woodward Gallery. As the show's press release explains, "Indiana's work speaks to the vital forces that have shaped our culture — the American Dream of the 20th century and HOPE for the 21st century." Over the years Indiana has produced indelible images that "chronicle his personal as well as the national identity, political and social upheaval, the rise of consumer culture, and the use of art as historical chronicler."

The artist's LOVE series captured the hippie vibe of the 60s while HOPE emphasizes "the politcal message of our time." The artist's use of "blended rainbow colors" help give new life to his "classic Pop iconography while working through the emotional connection between color, graphic art and painting." Indiana combines colors to evoke the seaons and adds an image of Barack Obama alongside red, white, and blue letters to convey patriotism, or black and white text suggesting an optimistic presidential portrait. Indiana's uplifting message feels much needed now especially as we quickly approach a new year filled with hope and expectations. Learn more at Woodwardgallery.net. Through January 22, 2011.

12/14/2010

Traveling over 7,000 miles from Shanghai, Kevin Berlin's exhibit Double Happiness makes its U.S. debut at the Mark Miller Gallery in the Lower East Side. Berlin's large-scale oil paintings examine "the search for happiness in the dynamic east-meets-west city of Shanghai," (from show's press release). The 45-year-old Rochester, New York-born artist spent some time in Shanghai and studied the bustling city's residents and their quest for happiness. As the artist states, "Shanghai and New York have a lot in common: We all want the same things -- love, cash, sex, status, something satisfying to eat, a friend, to live in a beautiful place, to be a part of the future... My job as an artist is really just as a witness, to simply say - this is what I saw."

Berlin's works featured in Double Happiness are divided into three groups—"Steamed Buns and Double Happiness" shows not particularly happy-looking Shanghai residents selling or consuming steamed buns; "Cigarettes and Cash" shows meticulous recreations of Chinese currency and cigarette packets; and counterfeit "Bags" shows oversized and detailed recreations of the fake designer handbags that used to sell like hot cakes (or maybe steamed buns) in the markets of Shanghai. Berlin's canvases depicting people are composed in hazy, dreamlike black-and-white, while his paintings of money, handbags, belts, and cigarette packaging are colorful, vibrant, and life-like. His various takes on the packaging of Peony and Panda brand cigarettes are so vivid and appealing, they almost make me want to take up smoking again! Berlin's descriptive, narrative paintings illustrate the constant consumerism and consumption of a city where people seem to believe that happiness can be bought. Learn more at Markmillergallery.com and at the aritst's website Kevinberlin.com. Through December 15th.

12/13/2010

Michael Heizer: Works from the 1960s and 70s currently on view at David Zwirner features paintings and a sculpture by the pioneering Land Artist who works primarily in large-scale earthworks. These rarely exhibited pieces explore similar themes as his earthworks, namely "the contrasting qualities of negative and positive forms," (from the show's press release).

Heizer's artwork "focuses on the tension that occurs" when "positive and negative forms" and/or "mass and space" are brought together. His paintings and sculptures explore the relationship between "mass and emptiness" or "presence and absence" on a much smaller though no less significant scale than his "monumental" earthworks do. Many of Heizer's canvases, which are typically painted in earthy, desert colors, reject conventional framing and have portions cut out of their edges, leaving glaringly empty and void spaces. For Slate Triptych (1979), the artist applied a "transparent layer of color" to the canvas creating a "positive and negative surface" which draws attention to "the presence and absence of space in relationship to mass and color." Heizer's sculptures employ "an extreme reduction of form" that emphasizes "the spatial function form has within the 'emptiness' of space." Heizer's subtle yet bold Minimalist works remind us that sometimes what isn't there can be just as important as what is.

Heizer's earth art is influenced by ancient architectural ruins that were introduced to him by his archeologist father. Many of his earthworks involve "depressions and trenches in the ground" to illustrate "displacement and space." Heizer is currently based in Nevada where he has been focusing on City, which will potentially be "the largest earthwork ever created in contemporary art." Learn more at Davidzwirner.com. Through December 21st.